Handle-bar for bicycles



(No Model.)

W J MATERN HANDLB BAR rowYoLfls.

No. 461,856. Patented 0013.13,1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM J. MATERN, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

HANDLE-BA R FOR BlCYCLES.l

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,356, dated October 13, 1891.

Application filed January 19, 1891` Serial No. 378,285t (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that. I, WILLIAM J. MATERN, of Bloomington, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Handle-Bar for Bicycles, of which the following` is a full, clear, and exact description. i

My invention relates to improvements in handle-bars for bicycles, and it is especially intended for Safety bicycles, althouqh it may be used upon other kinds ot' machines.

` The handle-bar ordinarily used upon bicycles is perfectly rigid,and in traveling over rough roads or obstructions' of any kind the vibrations of the handle are communicated to the hands-and arms, which soon become extremely tired, owing to the vibrations.

The object of my invention is to obviate this (lifficulty by producinga handle-bar of simple construction which will yield vertically and will not jolt the hands and arms, and which, when lifted upon by the hands, will be as rgid as the ordinary handle-bar.4 The object of having the handle rigid while it is being lifted upon is thatin ordinary usage the bars are pressed downward by the hands; but in going uphill the rider lifts upon the bar to hold himself in proper position on the machine, and it is necessary that the barbe rig'id during 'this operation.

To this end my invention -consists in the construction which will be hereinafter fully described, and then pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a side elevation of aSat'ety bicycle provided with a handle-bar embodying` my invention. Fig. 2 is abroken detail front elevation of the handle-bar and its supporting-standard, and Fig. 3 is a plan of the same.

A is a Safety bicycle of ordinary-construction, having,` the customary seat A' and having a socket B at the upper end of the fork, in which the standard O is held and adjusted by a set-screw b in the usual manner, and on the top of the standard is a handle-bar D, which rests centrally upon a cross-piece E,

which cross-piece is firmly secu red 01' formed integrally with the standard O, The handlebar D is formed of flat spring' metal and is curved to the desired shape, the ends of the bar terminating in handles d, and, if desired, spade-handles or any other variety of handle may be used instead of the plain handle shown in the drawings. The handle-barD issecured flatwise to the cross-piece E, so that the strain on the bar, when lit is used for steering, wili come edgewise upon it, and when moved in this way it will be as rigid as any ordinary handle-bar; but when the rider presses down- Ward upon the handles the strain will come fiatwise upon the handle-bar, and it will yield sufficiently to prevent ordinary shock and vibration from being communicated to the hands and arms.

It is necessary th'at the handle-bar be rigid when it is lifted upon for the reason stated above,.and to give it the necessary rigidity a supplemental strip or spring F is placed upon the top and is shaped to correspond with the shape of the handle-bar1 the said'strip beinr secured to the handle-bar by bolts e, which 'extend downward through the strip F, the

handle-bar D, and the cross-piece E, thus securing" the said parts together.

In the drawings Ihave shown the bar composed of a single piece and provided with one supplemental strip or spring; but it is obvious that the handle-bar may be made .of several flat Springs, and that two or more strengthening-strips may be used, it' desired.

The Vertical standard O is ordinarily used 

